Doral

Brand name:

Doral.

Quazepam is a sedative drug under the benzodiazepine group, used to treat symptoms of certain sleeping disorders, particularly insomnia. This medication restores the balance of certain brain chemicals involved in sleeping to help you fall asleep easily and keeps you asleep for a longer period with lesser episodes of getting awake at night.

Instructions:

Read your medication guide and follow your doctor’s prescription at all times.

• Take quazepam orally/ by mouth with or without food, once every night, 30 minutes before you go to sleep per doctor’s prescription.
• The dosage depends on your medical condition or treatment response. Do not adjust your dose without your doctor’s recommendation.
• Do not take this medication if you cannot ensure 7- 8 consecutive hours of sleep to prevent temporary memory loss, a rare side effect of this drug.
• Avoid alcohol intake and activities that require mental alertness (i.e. driving, operating machineries) because this medication can cause dizziness and blurring of vision.
• Continue taking quazepam on regular schedule (same time of the day). To avoid withdrawal symptoms, do not stop taking this medication abruptly without consulting your doctor. You may experience difficulty in sleeping 1- 2 nights after you stopped taking this medication but this is normal.

Inform your doctor immediately if your condition aggravates or does not improve after 7- 10 days.

Take your missed dose as soon as possible and as long as it is still close to your sleeping hour. Unless if it is already on the next day that you remembered to take your dose, then stick with the regular schedule and leave out the missed dose. Do not double dose to cover up a missed dose.

Record your missed dose and inform your doctor immediately if you missed several doses.

Interactions:

Quazepam may interact with:

• Sodium oxybate
• Cimetidine
• Clozapine
• Disulfiram
• Kava
• Nefazodone
• SSRI antidepressants (i.e. fluoxetine)
• Antihistamine (i.e. diphenhydramine)
• Anti- anxiety medications (i.e. diazepam)
• Anticonvulsants/ anti- seizure drugs (i.e. carbamazepine)
• Other medications used to promote sleeping (i.e. zolpidem)
• Muscle relaxants
• Narcotic pain relievers (i.e. codeine)
• Antipsychotic drugs (i.e. chlorpromazine)
• Tranquilizers and
• Cough- and- cold products

Some drugs may either lessen the beneficial effects or worsen the side effects of quazepam. Likewise, quazepam may make some drugs less efficient or intensify their side effects.

Make sure to inform your doctor about all other drugs you are currently taking or using (prescribed and non-prescribed medications including vitamins, minerals and herbal products) to check for possible drug interaction with quazepam.

Never alter the doses of other medications while on quazepam neither stop nor start any medicine without the doctor’s recommendation.

Side Effects:

There are no side effects known aside from a possible allergic reaction in people who have previous or unknown hypersensitivity to the drug.

Watch out for signs of allergic reactions such as:

• Rash
• Itching
• Swelling

Warnings:

Before taking quazepam, tell your health care provider if you have/are:

• Any allergies to any substance, food or medication, particularly to quazepam or to other benzodiazepine medications
• Medical history or a present condition such as:
  • Liver disease
  • Kidney disorder
  • Mental or Mood disorder (i.e. depression)
  • Lung disease (i.e. sleep apnea, pulmonary insufficiency)
  • Seizures
  • Drug or Alcohol dependence/abuse

• Pregnant, planning to get pregnant or currently breastfeeding a baby (Quazepam can cause birth defects to the unborn child and withdrawal symptoms to the newborn baby. Likewise, this medication can pass through breast milk that may harm the nursing child. The risks and benefits of using this medication during pregnancy must be discussed well with your doctor.)